


Strangers

by sickfiresinc



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader-Insert, Recreational Drug Use, Slow(ish) Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 12:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7509214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sickfiresinc/pseuds/sickfiresinc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're all just friends you haven't met yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

> This work was not beta read, so please point out any typos you see in the comments so that I can fix them. Thank you!

_“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”_

_-Charles Dickens_

 

You were just trying to smoke in peace.

You'd taken your lighter to the right side of the bowl not even fifteen minutes ago, and already three guys had come up to you, either to flirt or ask for a hit. Or both. Each one had been creepier than the last. It wasn't like you were conspicuous, your back against the cold concrete wall and your hood up and obscuring most of your face. You were even cupping the bowl every time you flicked your lighter on, muting the bright orange glow, but you guessed that those losers could smell your best lavender from a mile away.

You were almost too high to care, but what you were doing, smoking outside in public, was illegal. You really weren't trying to get caught that night, or any other night for that matter. Your sharp little flame licked the last of the green in the bowl, blackening it as you inhaled deeply, letting the smoke permeate your lungs. You pulled away and clamped your mouth shut, making a strangled noise, then huffed and blew the smoke you'd drawn from the stem out your nose.

"Hey there." A voice interjected out of the darkness, disturbing your peace yet again. You frowned angrily, ready to give this dick a piece of your mind, and turned to find yourself face to face with Daniel Avidan.

Your eyes widened slightly, eyebrows raised, and you coughed, the rest of the smoke exiting your lungs more violently than you would have liked. "H-holy shit." You wheezed, your body trying desperately to get enough air in to laugh.

"Woah, you alright?" Danny said, taking a few steps closer and putting a hand on your back. You waved his help away and straightened up, using the wall for support as your respiratory system got it's shit together.

"Fine, I'm fine, promise." Your voice was a little creaky, but your lungs didn't burn too much, all things concidered. "Holy crap, I can't believe- I idolize you, man." You were actually laughing now, and you probably sounded like an idiot. _Fuck it,_ you thought.

"Oh, you- you know me?" Danny asked, looking surprised, and you nodded, stuffing your lighter in your pocket.

Your laughing fit tapered off. "I mean, oh my god, you're such an inspiration to me. Fuck, if I wasn't so stoned right now I think I'd be crying."

"Crying? Jeez, that is definitely not necessary." Said Danny, still looking a little worried.

"Yeah, I know. But you're just...so great, dude, you don't even know." Your head was spinning, and the alley blurred a little as Danny leaned down and looked into your eyes.

"Wow, you are _wrecked_ my friend." He said.  
  
"You're handsome."

Danny pulled a face. "Sorry?"

"It's just...I thought we were making obvious statements."

He actually chuckled at you, shaking his head, his fluffy mane bouncing around his face. "Maybe, uh," He looked around for a moment. "Maybe you should come with me. What's your name?"

"Y/N." You blurted out quickly. "Come with you where?" You suddenly felt a little panicked. What if he took you to the hospital? You didn't have a card and your little 'habit' was definitely illegal without one.

Seeing the fear in your eyes, he shook his head slightly, reaching out to put a hand on your shoulder. "My place, if you trust me enough for that. I promise I won't try anything, you just look like you need a place to crash and you're in no condition to drive."

"Oh, uh, yeah." A wave of shame washed over you, and you looked down at the ground. "Great first impression, huh?" You mumbled.

Danny looked at you with sympathy in his dark brown eyes. "Don't worry about that, okay? Why should you care about what some dickbag in a leotard thinks of you, anyway?"

You smiled through teary eyes and lifted your head. "Thank you."

Danny smiled back at you and shook your shoulder gently. "Hey, no problem. Come on, my car's just around the corner."


	2. Collapse

_“Crying is all right in its way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do.”_

_― C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair_

 

Morning came slowly, your eyes blurry with tears from yawning. You stretched luxuriously, shaking off sleep and blinking in the light that streamed from a gap in unfamiliar curtains. The events of the night before came rushing back to you all at once, and you froze, eyes darting around the room. Danny was nowhere to be seen, but you could hear music coming from somewhere beyond the bedroom door.

It was a nice room, too, and as you pressed your palms into the mattress it dawned on you that he'd given you the bed. He could have let you crash on his couch, but instead he'd given his comfort for yours. Either that or he just slept here with you, you thought, and a blush bloomed hot on your cheeks. You weren't wearing your hoodie or shoes, but other than that your clothing was intact.

"Crap." You muttered, realizing that your pipe, weed and lighter had all been in your hoodie. You looked over at the bedside table, then down at the floor. Nothing.

Pulling the covers back, you hopped off the bed and padded towards the door. Putting your ear to the cold wood, you listened.

_I love you so much, can't count all the ways,_  
_I've died for you girl and all they can say is:_  
_"He's not your kind..."_

You recognized the words, but you weren't sure where you'd heard them. A movie maybe? You turned the doorknob and opened the door slowly and quietly.

It was a pretty small apartment, and the kitchenette and the living room were both within your view now. Danny was standing at the counter in the little kitchen, singing along with the radio and pulling a box of cereal out of the cabinet above his head.

Opening the door a smidge farther, you tried to slip silently through the crack. The door creaked like you'd taken an axe to it, and Danny raised his head and turned to look at you.

"Oh, you're up." He said.

"Yeah, um. Hey." Your throat felt like it was trying it's best to close up and choke you. What were you supposed to say to one of your biggest obsessions when they'd seen you at your worst and opened their home to you?

Danny smiled. "Good, you were kinda worrying me there for a second. How'd you sleep?"

"I, I slept great. Awesome. It was- look. I'm sorry. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. I'm not usually that bad. I really didn't....it fucking sucks that you saw me like that." You knew you were rambling, but you didn't care. You could feel the tears starting again.

"Hey, no."

Danny abandoned his cereal project and walked the few steps over to where you were standing. He brought his arms up, and seeing the question in his eyes, you practically threw yourself into them.

"It's okay, alright? I mean I can imagine how you're feeling right now, and trust me, it's unwarranted. I think I have an idea of where you're at. I've been there. It would be completely hypocritical if I judged you." He said all this while he held you against his chest, and listening to his soothing words as you breathed in his scent was a comfort in a way that nothing had been in a very long time.

You broke down.

Sobbing into his chest, you told him everything. You'd been taking pills for your ADHD that had gotten too expensive, and when you couldn't afford them anymore, you'd started smoking pot as an alternative. It had worked at first, and you'd continued to attend college and even brought your grades up significantly. Then your mother's health had started to fail. By the time she'd passed away last year, you'd been smoking all the time, barely able to leave your room and go to class, and your grades had tanked so hard that you'd had to drop out. Since then you'd been dealing to keep the apartment and smoking more than ever, your grandparents sending you support money that went towards rent and more weed.

"I think-" You sobbed, hiccuped, and tried again. "I think it was laced."

"The stuff you smoked last night?" Danny asked, and you nodded vigorously. "That would explain why you were having such a rough time."

You suddenly remembered something your mother had said to you years ago, something about the first step to getting help. "I...I have a problem." You mumbled.

Danny looked at you with such care that your eyes threatened to overflow again. "I want to help you, Y/N."


	3. Copacetic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the super short chapters guys, once I get more confident with this new writing style and my plot ideas I'm sure they'll start to get longer. Just bear with me on this one.

_“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”_

_― Maya Angelou_

 

 

"What were you studying?"

It was Saturday night, and you were at Danny's place watching Toonami. The new English dub of One Punch Man had just aired, so you'd decided to check that out instead of watching reruns of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. Boxes of old clothes and other junk covered the floor space between the couch and the kitchen.

"Sorry, what?" You hadn't been listening, too wrapped up in watching a giant, odd-looking crab man beat the stuffing out of a guy on the T.V. screen.

"What were you studying?" Danny repeated. "You know, in college."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Filmmaking and editing."

Danny raised his eyebrows, looking impressed. "Awesome. How far did you get? If you don't mind me asking."

"Two and a half years." You sighed. "I was almost done. More than half way, at least."

"That blows. Still, two and a half years of experience. That's really something." He said. His tone had changed, but you weren't sure of it's meaning.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering what kind of job your college skills could get you."

You thought for a moment, and an idea that you'd had before crept up on you once again. "Hey, do you think- no, sorry, it's stupid. Nevermind."

"No, tell me." Danny protested, and you shifted in your seat and looked down at the carpet.

"Maybe I could help you guys with editing? I mean I know you have a lot of stuff going on, I dunno, maybe it would be nice to have a helping hand. Please tell me if I'm being stupid." You rambled.

Danny chuckled. "Hey, it's fine Y/N, that's not stupid at all. I was actually thinking the same thing to be honest."

Your eyes widened in shock. "Really?"

Danny nodded. "I mean I'd have to run it by the group, but we can use all the help we can get right now, and besides, you're my stray." He laughed. "It's my duty to nurse you back to health and get you on your feet again."

Your face reddened. It had been a joke between you two for at least a week, but it still made you blush every time he said it. Made you imagine him calling you kitten, which was never a rabbit hole your mind should have been allowed to go down.

You scoffed, feigning annoyance, and kicked at the carpet with one sock-clad foot. "Are we hitting Goodwill tomorrow or Monday?" You asked.

"I figure since there's still some stuff you need to go through you can take my car and drop by there Monday." Danny replied.

Your heart sank a little. "You're not coming with me?"

Danny shook his head. "I've gotta work, but I'll give you my spare key so you can come back and chill here if you feel like waiting up for me. I should be back around four."

The smile came back to your face at the prospect of hanging around the apartment and watching T.V. while you waited for him to get home. It had a sort of domestic feel to it that warmed your heart and made your skin tingle.

"Alright, yeah, sounds good to me."

"Sweet."

When you stopped to think about it, it was really amazing how much better your life had gotten so quickly. Your apartment was clean, you were getting rid of all the stuff you didn't need anymore, and you hadn't gotten high since that night in the alley. You looked over at Danny, arm behind your shoulders and feet propped up on the arm rest of the couch, and your heart gave a grateful flutter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, comments, comments! I can't get enough of them. Please feel free to tell me what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment. Positive or negative, I don't mind. Compliments and constructive criticisms are always appreciated!


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